Chapter 1
It seemed like the entirety of Pallet Town was here. It was just like his first day of becoming a Pokémon Trainer one year ago. But this time, they weren't here just for Gary; they were here for him as well.
The smile couldn't seem to leave Ash's face as he looked out at the townsfolk of his hometown – some he knew more than others – with glasses in hand. Some had changed dramatically in the year he had been traveling around the Kanto region and collecting his eight Gym Badges to be able to participate in the Pokémon League competition, while others looked like he had just seen them yesterday. Children were a foot taller, the elderly had a couple more wrinkles. But one thing was certain – they all had a proud look upon their face.
Ash stood up on a higher platform in front of Professor Oak's lab. Beside him was the professor himself, donned in his white lab coat and normal button-up shirt. His mother was next, wearing a pink blouse and a country blue skirt. She had long since stopped crying her tears of joy, but her eyes were still puffy. And next to her was Gary Oak, his childhood rival and the reason he had lost at the Indigo Plateau.
Ash took it upon himself to speak first, and as he gathered the courage to open his mouth and begin his speech, his eyes fell upon Brock, his traveling companion and closest friend. Brock had formerly been the Pewter City Gym Leader, but his father took over the gym so he could fulfill his dream of becoming a world-renown Pokémon Breeder. Brock was a fountain of knowledge, and though he had his faults – especially when it came to those of the female variety – Ash was sure he definitely wouldn't have made it this far without him.
"Um, I'm very happy to be home, and to everybody who supported me throughout the Pokémon League, I just want to say: thank you very much." He dipped his head in gratitude, and then Gary stepped forward.
"I want to thank my fans, my cheerleaders, and my grandfather for cheering me on all the way to the top. I'm glad I didn't disappoint you," the spiky-haired Trainer said with a humble smile.
"And thanks to Ash and Gary for representing us so well," his grandfather added.
"And we all owe Professor Oak a big thank-you for hosting us here today," Mrs. Ketchum stated. "Now, let's start the party!"
"First, let's salute Ash for finishing in the top 4 at the Pokémon League, but more importantly, Gary for being victorious, and doing Pallet Town proud!" Ash felt a twinge of jealousy rear its ugly head in his stomach, but tried to fight his frown as the gray-haired professor raised his glass to the sky. "Hip hip..."
"HOORAY!"
With the toast over, it was now time for the best part: the food. Tables upon tables were laid out in Professor Oak's corral, and each of them had different foods laid out. It seemed as though Pallet Town had spent the last week since the Pokémon League preparing all sorts of food and delights. His mother certainly worked her tailbone off creating dish after dish, even taking time off at her restaurant to prepare for the feast.
Teeth biting into cooked, tenderized meat, Brock chewed loudly as he held the now-clean bone in one of his hands; in the other was a kebab of vegetables. "Pallet Town... really knows how to... throw a party!" he said between chewing. "The food is delicious!"
"Hey, we should let our Pokémon celebrate, too!" Ash spoke up. "We couldn't have gone to the Pokémon League without them!"
"You're right!" Brock agreed, and after swallowing his food, procured five Poké Balls from his vest. "Geodude, Onix, Zubat, Vulpix, Psyduck; it's time to come out and chow down!" Throwing the Poké Balls forward, multiple flashes of light appeared in the air and came down. A floating rock with a pair of eyes and two strong-looking arms, a giant rock snake Pokémon, a blue bat with no eyes, a red fox-like Pokémon with beautiful flowing tails, and a dopey-looking duck Pokémon that held its head in its webbed hands appeared from the light. They all cried in unison as they emerged from their Poké Balls.
"Blastoise, Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, Primeape, join the party!" The five Pokémon that were currently in Ash's party burst from their Poké Balls as well, appearing beside Brock's Pokémon and calling out excitedly. They all looked at their Trainer for orders, but he instead gave them a grin. "All right, everybody! This is your chance to relax, chow down, and enjoy yourselves!" That was all the direction they needed, and the ten Pokémon all ran off in opposite directions to go find the food they liked. Psyduck was especially excited, and in its haste, it tripped on the ground and landed on its stomach, but instead of helping it up, Bulbasaur trotted over the Water Pokémon as if it wasn't even there.
"Ash, you must be really proud," Brock observed with a thoughtful smile coloring his face, but when he turned to look at his traveling companion, he found that he was no longer there. Instead, he saw him and his starter Pokémon running off toward a booth serving food freshly cooked on a grill.
"Let's eat fast so we can eat again!" he heard the younger boy cry, and Brock gave an embarrassed chuckle as those who were near the Pallet Town boy stared in wonder as they questioned whether they heard him correctly.
"Excuse me! I'd like three super-sized orders of everything you got, please!" Ash asked the young chef behind the grill. Might as well take advantage of the food while it was free.
"Yes, sir!" he responded, and began cooking as fast as he could. The smell of the noodles being cooked and the meatballs being simmered was enough to make Ash's stomach grumble loudly and activate his spit-glands. Beside him, Blastoise was also looking at the food being prepared like it had never eaten in the world.
Finally, after a few painstakingly long minutes, the orders were brought together and put in three plastic bags. "Here you go!"
"Thank you very much!" Ash thanked, trying to hide his giddiness as he took two bags and Blastoise took one, and the pair walked back to the table where Brock and the remaining Pokémon had decided to put their flag down. "Okay guys, this ought to be enough to get us started!"
"Thanks, Ash!" Brock said, and began to spread out the containers of food. Meanwhile, Charmeleon and Bulbasaur looked beyond delighted at the chance to be able to feast upon the delectable selections provided, and even Pidgeotto – on a perch made of wood – flapped its wings and shrilled excitedly. He brought them a tray each of their own, and Brock gave some to his Geodude and Onix before breaking his own chopsticks in half and chowing down on the noodles.
With his own tray of meatballs in hand, Ash plopped one into his mouth and felt as though he might cry from how good it was. "It really was awesome for Pallet Town to go through so much trouble for me and Gary!"
"It's no small feat getting as far as the two of you did," Brock told him. "And not only that, but it isn't every day that someone from such a small town wins a whole league."
"It's hard to think that Gary is... a champion..." Ash murmured, more loudly than he would have wanted to before sticking another meatball in his mouth.
"Shows how much you know, Ash." Ash almost choked on his food at the sudden cry of his rival's voice, and once he patted his chest with his fist in a coughing fit and managed to get the food down his esophagus, he turned around to see Gary and his grandfather smirking at him.
"Gary? What do you mean? You won the Pokémon League."
"Yes, but that doesn't specifically mean he is champion of the whole Kanto region," Professor Oak corrected. "Those who win the respective leagues get a chance to enter the Champion League. That Trainer then has to battle and defeat each of the region's Elite Four members in order to progress, until finally the League Champion can be battled."
"That certainly makes sense..." Brock muttered, tapping his chopsticks against his chin in thought and unknowingly getting soy sauce from the noodles onto his mocha-colored skin.
"Well, have you battled any of the Elite Four?!" Ash asked impatiently, the image of Bruno coming to mind. He had met him while training for the Pokémon League competition a few months ago, and while he was certainly disappointed that he wasn't going to be battling the Fighting-type Trainer, he wanted to know everything about the league.
"Not yet. I'm still giving my Pokémon time to rest before then," Gary responded with a smug shrug. "And I'm still waiting for my invitation on where it will be held."
"Which brings me to my next topic," Professor Oak brought up, and instantly, Ash could see his grandson's smug attitude physically deflate into one of annoyance. "I wonder if you could all do a very special favor for me."
"Sure, what is it?" Ash instantly replied.
"I've asked Gary here to run a very important errand for me on Valencia Island in the Orange Archipelago."
"The Archipela-who?"
"Valencia?" Brock added with just as much wonder.
"I've asked him to go and visit my friend Professor Ivy, and bring back the mysterious Poké Ball that she recently acquired so that I can study it."
"Okay, but what does this have to do with us?" Ash asked bluntly.
"I'd like for you to accompany Gary, as I think the experience at seeing another region would do wonders for your training, Ash," he answered with a wrinkled smile showing his age.
"I told Gramps I can handle it myself, but he's insisting you come," Gary pouted, looking positively annoyed with his arms crossed across his chest.
"Can't you just have her transport it to you, Professor?" Brock questioned curiously, but the older man came back with a frown.
"For some reason, that isn't possible."
A silence passed between the two as they let the information settle in. "Valencia Island?" Brock murmured quietly, his eyebrow twitching. "Lots of girls on the beach? Let's go! I say we leave right away!" Gary and Professor Oak, not as used to Brock's antics, gave him a wild look, but Ash ignored him and still settled on the mystery that the professor had told him.
"A mysterious Poké Ball, huh?" A determined grin spread across his face, bringing the corners of his mouth up and his eyebrows down. "You bet I'll go!"
o 0 o
Once the party began to dwindle down – and their bellies were full of food – Ash, Brock, and Gary all went home to pack their bags and leave straight away. While Ash was happy to be home, the thought of adventuring and traveling once again made him giddy, as it had been quite a while since doing so; not since he obtained the Earth Badge in Viridian City.
With their backpacks filled with probably more than was necessary, Ash and Brock headed outside where Professor Oak and Gary had just arrived. Gary had his own satchel thrown over his shoulder, and didn't look too thrilled still that the pair were tagging along, but stayed nonetheless.
Joining them was Delia and her Mr. Mime, Mimey. The Psychic Pokémon was wearing its normal green apron over the front of its body, and it was sweeping the road with a broom, but happily waved them off along with its owner.
Ash and Gary exchanged a silent nod and the three boys departed from their relatives, all of them waving good-bye. "I'm counting on you!" Professor Oak called to them.
"Be careful!" Mrs. Ketchum shouted.
"We will!" Ash cried back.
"Bye!" Brock called.
"And don't forget to change your you-know-what every day, honey!" Upon hearing this, Ash let out a cry and fell onto his stomach in embarrassment while Gary smirked down at his rival's dismay.
Gary leading the way, the three traveled down Route 1. The auburn-haired Trainer was silent as they walked, and shot down any attempt at conversation Ash tried to start with one word answers. Closer to the back, Brock pointed out quietly that Gary was missing his usual cheerleaders that followed him around, and Ash realized he hadn't seen them since their match at the Indigo Plateau. Was there a change happening in Gary that Ash couldn't see?
The dark-haired boy thought back to when he had won his fourth round match at the Pokémon League competition. Professor Oak had taken the time to see him after the match, and his words echoed in Ash's head. Your battle with Gary instilled something in him that I have been trying to teach him from the very beginning: that along the road there are always a few bumps. Until then, his Pokémon journey has been a smooth one. But when he saw that you had quickly caught up with your training as opposed to his own, he reshaped his efforts and trained as hard as he could in preparation for this tournament.
Something popped Ash out of his thoughts, and he blinked when he tried to figure out what it was. The Pallet Town boy stopped, clutching his backpack's green straps tightly in his gloved hands, and looked at his surroundings. They were in a forest deep in Route 1, and though Ash didn't recognize it, he realized exactly what had brought him out of his stupor: nothing at all. Absolutely no sound.
Seeing the halt in Ash's movement, Brock stopped and gave his friend a questioning look, and soon Gary followed suit. "Hey... it sure is quiet in this forest, isn't it?" Now that Ash had brought it to their attention, Gary and Brock both looked around, studying their surroundings.
"I guess..."
"Maybe a little too quiet..." Brock muttered.
They all stayed silent for a moment, straining their ears for any type of vibration or sound. Suddenly, it was Gary who spoke up, and his head shot upward. "Above us!" Just then, a loud shriek filled the air, cutting through the silence like a knife, and they all gave a cry as they saw a huge flock of red and black Pokémon with brown feathers over their faces diving down at them. The three Pokémon Trainers all ducked as the Tiny Bird Pokémon missed in their dive down through the part in the trees.
"Those are Spearow!" Ash recognized.
"Here comes another one!" Gary warned, and Ash's head whipped up to see an even larger bird – this time with all brown feathers and a red comb on its head – swooping down and its beady eyes locked on them. They all had to press their stomachs to the ground in order to avoid getting hit by the new Pokémon's sharp beak, and the wind from its large wingspan sent dust flying into their faces.
"What's that?" the black-haired boy asked rhetorically, and whipped out his Pokédex before flinging open the cover.
"Fearow, the Beak Pokémon. The evolved form of Spearow. Its large, powerful wings allow it to fly for an entire day. The crushing power of its beak is tremendous," the automated machine said after scanning the Pokémon.
"But, why would a Fearow be attacking us?" Ash asked as he put away the red hi-tech encyclopedia. Ash's question went unanswered as a flurry of movement beside him grabbed his attention.
"I choose Arcanine!" Gary called, whipping his arm forward. The ball opened up, and from the light that was inside emerged an orange furred dog-like Pokémon that barked intimidatingly.
"FEAAARRR!" Fearow shrilled loudly as it swooped around above the treeline and came diving down yet again. The flock of Spearow that it led was close in tow, but the Fearow was obviously the leader.
"Arcanine, Fire Blast attack!" Gary commanded. The Fire-type Pokémon threw its head back with a howl, and then opened its maw and released a blast of fire from its mouth that quickly spun and formed into a star-shaped pattern before soaring high up. The attack was so quick that it caught Fearow off-guard, and soon it was carried away by the powerful Fire attack. The Spearow behind it quickly dispersed so they too wouldn't get hit, but some of the closer ones weren't so lucky, and were carried off with the flames.
"Your Arcanine is really well-trained," Brock observed, and the smallest hint of a smile appeared on Gary's face.
"Thanks," he replied, and turned back to see Fearow was burnt in places, but not giving up and was continuing its descent towards them. Arcanine's Fire Blast was enough to scare away the Spearow it led, but not enough to make its own courage falter. "Arcanine, use your Take Down attack!"
"Aaarrrooo!" Arcanine cried, hunching down close to the ground and waiting for the perfect opportunity. As Fearow swooped in close, the Legendary Pokémon leapt forward, driving its body into Fearow and sending it backwards through the air.
"Now we'll finish it off with your Fire Spin attack!" Gary declared, pointing his index finger forward. Once again, Arcanine opened its mouth, but this time a stream of fire came billowing out from between its teeth and curled around Fearow, trapping it in place. Fearow looked back and forth to try and find a way out, but the Fire Spin surrounded it too quickly, and soon it was swallowed by a vortex of flames that reached the sky. Moments later, the fiery tornado faded, and Fearow was on the ground. Its feathers were charred, but it was still struggling to stand up.
"I can't believe it can take all those attacks!" Ash said in surprise, and watched as Gary retrieved a Poké Ball from his backpack and chucked it forward.
"Poké Ball, go!" The ball soared through the air and straight at Fearow, and the Normal and Flying Pokémon attempted to try and get out of the way, but failed and the button tapped against its face. Fearow closed its beady eyes before being converted into red energy and sucked inside. All was silent in the forest as the Poké Ball hit the ground and rocked back and forth whilst the button flashed red. Ash knew that inside the Poké Ball, Fearow was struggling with all its strength to get out.
Finally, the ball pinged, and stopped rocking, signifying that Fearow had been caught. "You did it!" Ash congratulated his rival, but Gary ignored him and stroked the thick fur on Arcanine's head.
"Great job, Arcanine," he complimented, and recalled it back into its Poké Ball before retrieving his newly-acquired Pokémon. "You should learn to act first and ask questions later," Gary scolded after pocketing the Poké Ball. "Fearow are territorial Pokémon, and it's clear it was attacking us because we walked into what it thought was its territory. But look." Gary pointed up, and Ash and Brock followed the tip of his finger. Through the trees, they could see something that stuck out amongst the green of the leaves. Upon closer inspection, many Pidgey and Pidgeotto were tucked in the branches, and they wore sad looks on their face, but slowly felt as though a weight had been lifted off the forest with Fearow's capture.
"You got all that just from seeing those Spearow?" Brock asked, and Gary nodded.
"Wow, that's impressive," Ash muttered, but his rival scoffed.
"It wouldn't be impressive if someone kept up on their studies." And just like that, Ash's eyebrows fell over his eyes, and his upper lip stuck out in annoyance.
"Well, shouldn't we let them know those Spearow and that Fearow isn't going to come back?" Ash asked in a huff, noticing the Normal and Flying Pokémon still looked too scared to fly away. "I know! I'll have Pidgeotto tell them-"
"They'll figure it out eventually, Ash," Gary cut him off. "Not everyone has as small a brain as you – not even these birds. We have to get to Valencia Island; the sooner we do, the sooner I can come back to challenge the Elite Four." And without another glance at Ash, the Indigo League winner began to walk away, continuing down the path they had been walking.
Behind him, Ash frowned, and let out a sigh. This was going to be a lot longer of a journey than he thought.
Ash:
Party:
Blastoise (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, Withdraw
Pidgeotto (Poké Ball) (f)
Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge
Bulbasaur (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed
Charmeleon (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash
Primeape (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss
At Professor Oak's Lab:
Tauros (Safari Ball) x2 (m)
Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down
Kingler (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam
Muk (Poké Ball)
Moves: Poison Gas, Sludge Bomb
Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Thunder Badge
Marsh Badge
Rainbow Badge
Soul Badge
Volcano Badge
Earth Badge
Indigo League Rank: Top 4
Brock:
Party:
Onix (Poké Ball)
Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig
Geodude (Poké Ball)
Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle
Zubat (Poké Ball)
Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic
Psyduck (Poké Ball) (m)
Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion
Vulpix (Poké Ball) (f)
Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility, Quick Attack
Gary:
Party:
Arcanine (Poké Ball)
Moves: Take Down, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Flamethrower
Fearow (Poké Ball)
Moves:
At Professor Oak's Lab:
200 Pokémon
Badges:
Boulder Badge
Cascade Badge
Rainbow Badge
Seven unknown Badges
Indigo League Rank: Winner